After The Storm
by The Last Ronin
Summary: "'Let me,' I offer and she looks at me in surprise before nodding." A bit of Scira fluff set after the pack returns from Mexico in 4x12.


So this idea has been kicking around in my had ever since I saw the season four finale. Just a little bit of fluff (and a tiny bit of angst) between Scott and Kira in the wake of Peter's defeat. Set just after the group gets back from Mexico.

_**~The Last Ronin~**_

The drive back is largely a blur and the only thing I'm really conscious of is the girl nestled against my chest, my arms around her, safe. Safe. I have to remind myself of that over and over as my hands stroke her hair, her arms, her face…any bit of her I can touch to keep that one thought anchored in my mind. She's here and safe because the alternative is something I can't think about – something I don't ever want to think about – not again.

Yet think about it I do. It runs through my head: an endless loop of a nightmare I never wanted to see a second time. She nearly died today, which would have been bad enough on its own but this time…My mind flashes back to several weeks? months? lifetimes?, ago to another girl I loved and lost. As much as I wanted to blame myself, Allison's death hadn't been my fault. But Kira…had she not figured out how to heal herself she would have died and nothing would have been able to change the fact that I had been the one to kill her; the one who drove a dagger into her chest.

As if she senses where my thoughts have gone, her arms tighten around me and she lifts her head to press her lips against my neck. She doesn't speak but I get the message – knew it already if I'm honest. Kira doesn't blame me for what happened, not in the slightest. The berserker had been the one to nearly kill her; there was nothing I could have done to stop it. I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or not.

Kira is my mate – I realized that the instant the dagger pierced her flesh. Whatever the future may hold, for the time being that fact is true; she is my mate and to think she was nearly killed by a monster using my own body is…I've never felt so helpless before. I've never been so helpless before, even when I was still human.

I'm supposed to protect her. She's supposed to be safe with me. But today I failed her. I failed her and that failure nearly cost her her life. How can I be so selfish as to want her in my life when I can't even protect her?

The car rolls to a stop and I blink through the poisonous haze of my thoughts. Are we back already?

"Your place," Kira murmurs, exhaustion slurring her words, before I can finish processing that we've stopped.

I nod, as tired as she sounds and push the door open. Slowly we get out – a process made more difficult by our unwillingness to let go of one another – and head for the house. No words pass between us but we don't need them. After what happened in Mexico she's not leaving my side tonight – probably not for a few days actually.

My mother comes flying from the house as we approach and I manage to give her a small smile before Derek intercepts her. He passes her off to Braeden effortlessly, who then shoos her into the car, before placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I'll get everyone settled tonight," he nods towards Kira and I understand his meaning, though it hadn't been necessary – I had no intention of doing anything but take care of my mate tonight –, "we'll talk tomorrow."

I simply nod my thanks as he hops back into the car and pulls away, already starting to explain the situation to my mom. She probably won't like it but I don't have time for anyone else tonight. My mate is all I can think of.

With a mutual sigh Kira and I head inside and we both relax as I lock the door behind us. The locked door or even the house in general will do little to keep anything supernatural out but I can't help the feeling of safety it represents. Tomorrow I'll talk to Deaton about finding a more effective way to safeguard our homes but for tonight this will have to do. For tonight, at least, I only have my mate to worry about.

"Come on," I tug on Kira's hand and she blinks out of a daze, giving me another tired smile as we kick off our shoes.

I lead her upstairs to the bathroom, the room spotless despite my mother's and my crazy schedule. It's one of the oddly normal aspects of my otherwise bizarre life: my mother insisting on keeping the house relatively clean – especially with all the people who come over now.

Sitting Kira on the covered toilet seat, I reach into the shower and turn on the water, testing the temperature until it's where I want it.

"I'll be right back," I squeeze her hand, "just gonna grab some towels and a washcloth from the closet right outside."

"I think I can manage by myself for twenty seconds." She says, a smile tugging at her lips, "Go. I'll be here."

I'm out the door and back in less than fifteen seconds and despite her assurance, I can see the relief in her eyes as I deposit three towels and a washcloth on the counter. A fourth I drape on the floor before dropping to my knees in front of my mate.

"Isn't it supposed to be one knee?" She jokes, her eyes gleaming with mischief, despite her exhaustion, as I lift her legs one at a time to tug off her socks.

"Bit too soon for that," I kiss both her ankles, teasing a breathy chuckle from her, and then rise, pulling her up with me. Carefully I ease her jacket off her shoulders and lift her torn dress up over her head. She stiffens almost imperceptibly and I rub her bare arms to smooth away the gooseflesh.

"It's just a shower," I press a kiss to her forehead and she relaxes again, "is that ok for tonight?"

After a minute she nods against my chest and tugs my belt open as I fumble with the clasp of her bra. Our remaining clothes quickly join the rest on the floor and I try my best not to stare at my beautiful mate like she's a juicy steak I want to devour. Another night perhaps. Even though I've no plans on this going where we were heading last night, a blush colors her cheeks and chest as her own gaze roams over me and I can't help but chuckle.

"Just a shower," I remind her before checking the water temperature once more and steering her inside the stall.

A groan falls from her lips as she steps under the warm spray and I snag the washcloth before joining her.

"Oh Hell that feels good," she sighs, tilting her head back to give the water better access to the rest of her. I bite my lip hard, until I taste blood, to keep my mind from wandering to the other things I'd like to be doing with her in here. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all.

Before my mind can fall too far into the gutter, my eyes find the red tinged water streaming off her. The sight of her blood sobers me instantly and I tug her back against me, my arms coming around her in a fierce hug.

"I'm sorry Kira," I whisper into her neck, "I'm so sorry."

"I know," she says quietly, leaning back into me, "just as I know it's not your fault."

I don't say anything else – I'll let her have that for now – but it's a long few minutes before I can unwrap my arms from around her. When I finally do she reaches for my mother's hair care products and I stop her.

"Let me," I offer and she looks at me in surprise before nodding.

Taking a deep breath I squirt a good amount of shampoo into my hand and begin to gently massage it into her hair. She groans again as I scrape my nails across her scalp and comb out several knots with my fingers, trying to be as careful as possible not to pull too hard. I take my time; working my way through the wet strands long after what washing them requires, content with simply eliciting noises of pleasure from my mate.

"Close your eyes," I tell her before guiding her under the shower head to rinse her hair out. That finished, I lather up the washcloth with a bar of soap, drape her hair over her shoulder and set about washing her back. Slowly I sweep the cloth over her smooth skin, doing her arms, neck, breasts and stomach before sliding downward. She leans against the wall as the washcloth travels over her rear to clean first one leg and then the other before I pause. We both know what's left but still her entire body trembles as I slide the cloth between the apex of her thighs, not hurrying but not paying any more attention to the area than I had with any other part of her either.

"Close your eyes," I say again as I stand and turn her towards me so I can do her face too. I try not to look but despite my efforts my eyes fall on the small fading scar in the center of her chest and my fingers brush over it.

"See?" She says, "I'm ok."

I swallow heavily and nod as she steps back under the water to rinse off a second time. Whatever arousal I'd been feeling at the sight and feel of her naked body is washed down the drain with the dirt and blood as the memory surfaces again. Anger flashes through me for a brief instant, turning my vision red but then she's in front of me, hauling my lips down to hers and the memory evaporates once more.

Some time later she lets me come back up for air and she buries her face in my chest. We stand there for several minutes as I try to form a coherent thought but she's the first one to find her voice.

"I'm sorry too," she says quietly and I pull back to look at her questioningly.

"For what?"

"It should have been me, to bring you back," she clarifies, clutching me tightly, "you nearly died because I couldn't."

I'm stunned for a moment. It hadn't even occurred to me that she might blame herself for what happened. The idea was just too ridiculous for me to entertain for a moment. Yet as I look at her I can see that she is more than entertaining it: she believes it.

"Kira, no, stop," I hug her tightly, "it wasn't your fault. You saw what happened, no one could reach me. I've known Stiles my entire life, he's practically my brother, and I couldn't hear him at all."

"But Liam could and of all of us you've known him for the shortest amount of time," a few tears leak from her eyes, "so why him? Why not me?"

"He's my beta," I say after a few minutes consideration, "that means we have a connection that goes beyond how long or well we know each other."

"But I'm your…!," She trails off, a blush creeping up her cheeks as she realizes what she nearly said, "I mean, I'm…"

"You are," I kiss her gently as a realization forms in my mind, "you are but this is still new between us…we're not there yet."

She looks up at me, understanding quickly flashing across her eyes, "so someday we…"

"I think so," I nod, "but we don't need to rush ok?"

She nods, her blush fading, before looking up at me. A mischievous smile tugs at her lips and she snags the washcloth from me, "your turn."

I can't help the laugh that pulls its way out of my chest as I step back to let her do as she will.

**x-x-x-x-x**

A short time later the water starts getting cold so we shut it off and step out. I hand Kira a towel and help her dry off with a second before grabbing the third for myself. A yawn slips past my lips as Kira looks down at our pile of dirty clothes and bites her lip.

"I'll find something for you to wear," I drop a mostly chaste kiss on her lips and pull her towards the door, still wrapped in our towels. It doesn't take me long to find one of my jerseys and a pair of drawstring shorts that should fit well enough for one night.

"Thanks," she smiles around a yawn of her own as I hand her the clothing and turn to find something for myself. I keep my back turned to give her a bit of privacy while she dresses and she chuckles quietly.

"I think we're a bit passed worrying about modesty aren't we?" She asks as I pull on a pair of boxers.

"Just being polite," I smile at her and she shakes her head as she tightens the strings on her shorts.

As soon as she's done I pull her into my arms for another time-stealing kiss that leaves my head deliciously foggy. How in the world does she do that?

"Sleep?" She asks, our eyes already half closed as the events of the day start to catch up with us.

We tumble onto my bed in a tangle of limbs and laughter as we try to get comfortable. Kira reaches down to pull up the blanket, yawning again as she does, before smiling at me, her eyes drifting closed.

"Night," she murmurs and within seconds her breathing evens out as sleep takes her.

Despite my exhaustion, sleep evades me for a while. Instead I lay awake, my eyes memorizing my mate's face while my fingers softly do the same. I nearly lost her today before I ever had the chance to tell her…She's only been in my life for a short time but already I can't picture a future without her. And yet…it's too soon to tell her, even if I suspect she already knows and feels the same.

But she's asleep now so maybe…I pull her closer and place a kiss on her forehead. Before I can open my mouth, however, she unconsciously burrows into my chest closer still, my name falling from her lips along with the same three words I'd been about to say and my heart squeezes in my chest as I smile.

Kissing her once more I hug her tighter as sleep finally starts to claim me.

"I love you too Kira."


End file.
